Date: 2008-05-12 21:00 Subject: Two Degree of Separation Security: Public Mood: nostalgic

It was kind of weird, but enjoyable, reading Two Degrees of Separation (my first AnthologyBuilder effort). Roughly half the stories were familiar, although not always the published versions (some I saw at workshop stage). The remainder were new to me. However, I enjoyed them all. Not one dud!

Favourite old story: On the Deck of the Flying Bomb, by David Redd, first published in Interzone way back in 1982. I loved it at the time; I still do. David Redd is one of the finest British writers of short SF (IMHO). If you want to read the evidence, please consider purchasing his collection.

http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_template.php?template_id=201

My favourite new story? Ouch, that's a toughie. I loved the stories by Sarah Edwards, Stephen Gaskell and Christopher  Kastensmidt, amongst others, but they were just edged out by Matthew Rotundo's 'Hitting the Skids in Pixeltown', which is simply huge fun and appeals to my enduring love of celluloid (as opposed to CGI).

Two Degrees of Separation is still Nancy Fulda's 'Featured Anthology' at AnthologyBuilder. If you haven't done so yet, why not make the authors happy, if not exactly rich, and buy one?

http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_template.php?template_id=132

V.

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Date: 2008-04-19 17:09 Subject: Oops, I did it again Security: Public Mood: guilty

Committed anthology, I mean.

http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_template.php?template_id=216

This one is a guilty pleasure :-)

V.

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Date: 2008-04-17 18:40 Subject: Featured Security: Public Mood: pleased

"Two Degrees of Separation" is currently the Featured Anthology at AnthologyBuilder.

http://www.anthologybuilder.com/library.php

Good reading guaranteed.

V.

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Date: 2008-04-13 17:41 Subject: Some news Security: Public Mood: content Tags: anthologybuilder mercury

Yesterday, I sold a reprint of Moon Flu to Mercury, an Israeli SF magazine. The translated story should appear in the next issue, due soon. Such easy people to work with!  That was my first acceptance since last April, other than AnthologyBuilder. Talking of which...

AnthologyBuilder now hosts all my published stories :-) So, if you've ever read (and hopefully enjoyed) one of my stories, you now know where to find the rest, should you feel inclined to do a spot of anthologising.

http://www.anthologybuilder.com/authordetails.php?byline=Vaughan%20Stanger

V.

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Date: 2008-03-19 14:02 Subject: Anthology Completed! Security: Public Mood: pleased Tags: anthologybuilder

I've finally finished compiling Two Degrees of Separation. It is now ready for purchase. If you like the look of this anthology, please consider buying it. I reckon it'll turn out to be a cracking read. Needless to say, I've just ordered my copy.

http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_template.php?template_id=132

The final inclusions were stories by David Redd and Steven Utley (thanks Sarah!).

V.

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Date: 2008-03-18 22:45 Subject: Sad news Security: Public Mood: sad

The death of Sir Arthur C. Clarke has just been announced. No great surprise, as he was 90, but it's still a sad day.

2001: A Space Odyssey, The City and the Stars, Childhood's End, Rendezvous with Rama. He was also a great populariser of science.

Need I say more?

V.

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Date: 2008-03-12 15:59 Subject: Anthology Nearing Completion Security: Public Mood: busy Tags: anthologybuilder

My first attempt at an anthology, courtesy of Anthology Builder, is nearing completion. I have space for one more story, possibly two if they're short.

Link to my "Two Degrees of Separation" anthology:
http://www.anthologybuilder.com/view_template.php?template_id=132

*** Aliette and Sarah, this question addressed to both of you: Do you have a friend on the AB author list who has a story you'd like to see included? If so, let me know and I'll do my best to include them. ***

Link to AB author list:
http://www.anthologybuilder.com/browse_by_author.php

I haven't finalised the running order yet, and the introduction needs some work, but I shall probably finish the anthology this weekend. And yes, I shall be buying a copy!

:-)

Edit: Some Sherlock Holmes style investigation reveals that someone has already bought an earlier version of this anthology! Doubtless it's now a collector's edition ;-)


Vaughan

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Date: 2008-03-11 19:46 Subject: Mourning the Rumor Mill Security: Public Mood: sad

I for one was very sad to learn of the Rumor Mill's demise, particularly as I only found out after the event (I was on holiday at the time).

I guess Kent had his reasons.

I shall miss the comradeship, also the many useful resources.

V.

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Date: 2008-01-26 17:05 Subject: Bits and pieces Security: Public Mood: chipper

Rich Horton mentioned my name in his "Other nice pieces came from..." list in his year's summation for Hub. He was presumably referring to The English Dead (issue 36) as he stated that he didn't see Issue 2, which contained another of my stories. (http://webnews.sff.net/read?cmd=read&group=sff.people.richard-horton&artnum=4348).

It's always good to get a name-check from Rich as he's one of the best-known short fiction reviewers, plus a year's best anthologist. Also, I feel that The English Dead was one of my better efforts, so it's good to know he liked it.

And in other news: my account at AnthologyBuilder no longer shows $0.00!

:-)

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Date: 2008-01-14 18:44 Subject: Mood enhancer Security: Public Mood: pleased

Possibly the best review a short story of mine has ever received, for which I'm indebted to Shaun C. Green at The Fix:

A much stronger story in issue 36, Vaughan Stanger’s “The English Dead” takes a very different kind of myth as its cue. This is the mythology of Everest, of the men who climbed it, and of the secrets of dead men. A climber named Ben wants to discover the secrets of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who may or may not have reached Everest’s summit in 1924. Advanced techniques are used to produce a clone of Mallory, and Ben adopts the body and role of his companion, Irvine. Together, they set out to reproduce the events of 1924 and to provide an answer to the secret, once and for all.

“The English Dead” is an excellent story and fundamentally good SF; the central conceit, cloning historical figures, is not new, but its application is fresh. The climbing lingo reads authentically to a layman like myself. The obsessions of the tale’s central characters are well-portrayed, informing their decisions and actions as they move towards a convincing conclusion.

If you'd like to read the story, it's a *free* download from here: http://www.hub-mag.co.uk/images/Hub_36.pdf

Ralan Conley (yes, that Ralan) also left some praise for this story at the Hub site. And it's fair to say that he's got a corker in Issue 37.

I know that reviews aren't that important in the scheme of things, but a good one can warm the heart nonetheless.

V.

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Date: 2008-01-02 11:34 Subject: Appreciation Security: Public Mood: happy

AnthologyBuilder has accepted a third story from me for potential reprinting in its bespoke anthologies. Slices of Life was originally published in 3SF way back in December 2002. In her acceptance email, Nancy Fulda wrote "What a beautiful story!"

Which made my day, needless to say.

Now, let's hope that someone decides to buy it ;-)

V.

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Date: 2008-01-01 12:49 Subject: First publication of the year Security: Public Mood: happy

Helix SF has just published my novelette Family Tree. It's my eleventh story to see print or pixels.

http://www.helixsf.com/

The story is free to read, although Helix welcomes donations, as that's how it pays its authors.

This story was workshopped at Milford in 2004, so if any of you were there -- thanks for the excellent critiques. At the time, the story was known as Silver Apples, but Sue Thomason was trenchant on the need to change the title. She was right, of course.

A good way to start 2008!

V.

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Date: 2007-12-27 21:14 Subject: And another Security: Public Mood: lethargic

I'm now two-for-two at AnthologyBuilder, so I'm starting to think that they accept any short fiction that they can confirm has been previously published somewhere respectable. But that doesn't invalidate what in my view is an excellent concept and a way of giving pre-published stories a new life.

Perhaps one day I'll have enough stories loaded that I can create a collection of published stories that I can give to my friends and family as a Christmas present. Or maybe my writer's group could do something similar. Or is that just vanity collecting/anthologising? Feel free to discuss!

Belated best wishes for a Happy Festering Season to all my LJ friends.

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Date: 2007-12-21 21:52 Subject: Sale, sort of Security: Public Mood: hopeful

New web publisher AnthologyBuilder has accepted a reprint of my short story 'Moon Flu', which was first published in Oceans of the Mind in June of last year. Gardner Dozois gave it an Honorable Mention.

http://www.anthologybuilder.com/index.php

What that actually means is that anyone who wants to assemble (and purchase) an anthology from the fiction hosted on the AnthologyBuilder site can include my story, if they wish. There are royalty payments, though not large ones, obviously!

It's a neat concept and I wish Nancy Fulda every success with her project.

And an acceptance is not to be sneezed at.

(Actually I'm sneezing at just about everything right now, thanks to the head-cold-from-hell, but that's beside the point.)

V.

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Date: 2007-12-09 15:18 Subject: Free fiction! Security: Public Mood: ecstatic Tags: published

The English Dead are unearthed at last:

http://www.hub-mag.co.uk/images/Hub_36.pdf

Enjoy.

V.

PS. This is my tenth published story.

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Date: 2007-12-03 18:57 Subject: Coming Soon Security: Public Mood: ecstatic Tags: sales

I've just signed a contract with the publishers of Hub for The English Dead. This story, which I think of (rightly or wrongly) as one of my best, should be published soon, possibly this year. Needless to say, I'm very pleased. Hub may not pay pro-rates, but it does have a subscription base exceeding 5000, which beats all but a handful of print magazines.

Written in 2001, The English Dead had proved difficult to place, having garnered lots of praise from several leading editors, even an acceptance from a pro 'zine that died before it could publish the story. I'm glad it's finally found a good home.

http://www.hub-mag.co.uk/

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Date: 2007-10-21 12:07 Subject: And another mention Security: Public Mood: ecstatic

So, I thought I had just the two Honorable Mentions this year (in the Dozois Doorstep).

Turns out I have another one, for Touching Distance (published in Postscripts #7), in the Datlow/Link/Grant 'Year's Best F&H'.

At first I wondered how Touching Distance had made it into the F&H HMs, but then I remembered that it can be read as a technological ghost story.

So all three of my original stories published in 2006 received HMs. "Delighted" doesn't come close, considering that those were my first ever.

Better still, the editors spelled my name correctly ;-)

V.

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Date: 2007-09-23 12:10 Subject: Back from Milford Security: Public Mood: cheerful

Well, that was fun.

This year's workshop attracted fourteen SF&F writers. We had twenty-five pieces to critique during five working days, which was hard work, but well worthwhile. The overall standard of the submissions was exceedingly high. If a large proportion of the submitted stories and novels aren't published during the next year or two, I shall be gob-smacked. Mind you, I have made similar predictions before. When it comes to editors, there's no accounting for taste ;-)

One of my stories received a universally positive reception, which was encouraging. A minority liked the other story, but most gave it an unambiguous thumb's down. I'm cool with that, as it does need rethinking -- and I knew that when I submitted it. The quality of the feedback supplied on both my stories was excellent.

More importantly, everyone got on well and we all had (I think) a good time. I've made some new contacts and it looks like there will be some interactions between writing groups, which can only be a good thing.

This was the fourth Milford workshop to be held at Trigonos and doubtless won't be the last. It's a beautiful place to spend a week. However, the weather in Snowdonia could have been (a lot) better, managing to plumb new depths during our one day off (Friday). At one point, as we cowered in a car, someone said "It's not raining as hard now." Guess what happened next...

Edit 24 Sep:

By the left, quick march: Liz Williams, Heather Lindsley, Alys Sterling, Tina Anghelatos, Jacey Bedford, Jim Anderson, Jaine Fenn, Dave Clements, Dave Gullen, Sandra Unerman, Your's Truly, Terry Edge, Karen Williams, Kari Maund (holding a toy ferret and, erm, a bag of Wasabi peas...don't ask).

Vaughan

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Date: 2007-09-14 17:58 Subject: Off to Milford (again) Security: Public Mood: hopeful

Tomorrow I drive to Nantlle in Snowdonia, to attend the Milford 2007 Workshop (or conference or whatever it's called these days). I've attended twice before, in 2004 and 2005. Milford is invariably an interesting and stimulating experience, although sometimes a chastening one. Reading some of the other contributions has rather put my own efforts in their place -- to my mind anyway. Oh well, "nothing ventured..." and all that.

The best bit is meeting writers I haven't met before. This time, only three of the thirteen other attendees are people I know. There are some names I recognise, others I don't, all of which should make for an enjoyable week.

---

There's been a dearth of interesting news of late, hence the long gaps between my postings. Even rejections have been thin on the ground. The most recent was a form from Strange Horizons -- hardly a boost to my morale!

Wales here I come!

V.

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Date: 2007-08-05 09:57 Subject: A first for me Security: Public Mood: happy

I spotted the 2006 Dozois Doorstep (a.k.a. The Year's Best Science Fiction, vol. 24) on the shelves of Forbidden Planet in London yesterday. I leafed through it while guiltily hoping that a cheaper paperback version appears in due course.

Someone named Vaughn Stanger received two Honorable Mentions, for 'The Peace Criminal' in Postscripts, and 'Moon Flu' in Oceans of the Mind.

I am, of course, long since used to having my name misspelt!

;-)

Those are my first ever HMs.

Woo hoo!

Vaughan

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